Two weeks after the Karnataka government approved moving the Supreme Court against Assistant Commissioner K A Jagadeesh for allegedly diverting 62 acres of forest land in Hassan in 2020, the officer has now been posted as the Special Deputy Commissioner of the district. The development has raised concerns over administrative consistency and potential conflict of interest, even as the case is set to reach the apex court.

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Karnataka has posted an officer facing a Supreme Court appeal in a forest land diversion case as the Special Deputy Commissioner of Hassan.

Background of the 62-acre forest land dispute

The controversy dates back to 2020, when Assistant Commissioner K A Jagadeesh upheld a tahsildar’s endorsement declaring 61 acres and 32 guntas of land in Survey Number 22 of Tyavalli, Shanthigrama Hobli, as Sarkari Gomala (government grazing land).

This endorsement followed an appeal by T D Dasegowda, who claimed that the word forest had been “inadvertently” entered in the Record of Rights (RTC). He requested restoration of the gomala classification, arguing that the Forest Department had not provided any supplementary records proving the land to be forest.

Jagadeesh accepted this position and permitted further steps towards title transfer before the deputy commissioner.

Forest Department’s complaint and High Court intervention

The Forest Department challenged the order, following which the Deputy Commissioner remanded the matter back to the Assistant Commissioner for reconsideration. Parallelly, the department filed a private criminal complaint accusing Jagadeesh of:

  • Violating Sections 2 and 3 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, which prevent diversion of forest land without central clearance.
  • Breaching relevant Supreme Court orders governing forest land protection.

The department proceeded under Section 15 of the Rules issued under the Adhiniyam.

However, the Karnataka High Court quashed the case, observing that it was “shocking” for the Forest Department to register a criminal case against an officer performing a quasi-judicial function.

State approves Supreme Court appeal

Despite the High Court’s order, the Forest Department chose to continue the legal battle. On 15 November, the Home Department formally approved the filing of a Special Leave Petition (Criminal) before the Supreme Court.

The order instructed officials to prepare all necessary documentation for the appeal, signalling the state’s intent to challenge the High Court ruling.

Transfer order raises questions

Barely 12 days later, on 27 November, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) issued a transfer order posting Jagadeesh as the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Special DC) of Hassan district.

The move prompted concerns over propriety, given that the officer is the subject of a case the state itself is escalating to the Supreme Court.

Government sources clarified that the Revenue Department had no role in the transfer, noting that the decision was entirely under the purview of DPAR.